Rowan Student Knows Importance of Volunteering

Rowan Student Knows Importance of Volunteering

Volunteering and philanthropy have always been a part of Jamie Ginn?s college career. Ginn, a former Miss Ocean City, was inspired by her younger sister, Summer, and her struggle with Inflammatory Bo

February 23, 2005

Volunteering and philanthropy have always been a part of Jamie Ginn?s college career. Ginn, a former Miss Ocean City, was inspired by her younger sister, Summer, and her struggle with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) to join her local chapter of the Crohn?s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) in 1999.

That was just the start. In 2003 Ginn began the annual CCFA Walk at Rowan University. Together the walks have raised almost $10,000. This year, in addition to the walk, Ginn is starting an event titled ?Faces of Crohn?s and Colitis,? starting in March. In this event Glassboro and Ocean City businesses will sell CCFA cards for a $1 donation. The profits will go to summer camps for children with IBD. ?My goal is to have this program nationwide in 2006,? said Ginn.

This June, Ginn will compete in the Miss New Jersey competition. Her platform will be ?A Future Without Crohn?s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis,? inspired by her sister?s struggle. Ginn recently started speaking about her sister?s disease publicly. ?It was difficult at first because I would get too emotional,? she said. She hopes that by participating in the pageant that she can raise awareness of IBD and the need for a cure.

Ginn is a 2003 Rowan University chemical engineering graduate who currently works part time as a chemical engineer at an area manufacturing company. She returned to her alma mater to study biological sciences and she hopes to eventually become a doctor. After graduation from Rowan, Ginn would like to attend either Thomas Jefferson University?s Jefferson Medical College or Drexel University? College of Medicine to study dermatology.

According to CCFA, Crohn?s disease or ulcerative colitis is collectively known as IBD, a disease that affects almost one million Americans, including 300,000 children